2021/04/18 by Frederick Tolchard, Roger M. H. Smith, Andrea B. Arcucci +2 · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/14772019.2021.1931501
openalex publication_date 2021/04/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
The Middle Triassic uppermost Omingonde Formation of Namibia records a fossil tetrapod fauna including stahleckeriid dicynodonts and probainognathian and traversodontid cynodonts, similar to other contemporary Gondwanan deposits. GSN F382 is a large predatory ‘rauisuchian’ archosaur from the uppermost Omingonde Formation that was originally identified as an erythrosuchid archosauriform. In this study, we provide a detailed anatomical description and phylogenetic analysis of the specimen and diagnose it as a new taxon, Etjosuchus recurvidens. Etjosuchus is a non-crocodylomorph loricatan, branching earlier than Rauisuchidae and Crocodylomorpha. The addition of this large-bodied carnivorous pseudosuchian archosaur to the uppermost Omingonde tetrapod assemblage reinforces its faunal similarity to other Middle to Late Triassic Gondwanan ecosystems such as those in the Santa Maria Formation of Brazil, the Chañares Formation of Argentina and the Manda Beds of Tanzania.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F5035597-24E0-4DA5-B89D-D3CF8851A8FF